Warriors withholding Kristaps Porzingis' pay officially starts the timer on his exit

When the Golden State Warriors signed Kristaps Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million deal this offseason, there was some level of optimism that it would work out in their favor.

Either he would show up healthy, playing even better than he did last season after the trade, and provide the Warriors with the starting-caliber center they'd long been searching for, or his contract would serve as a trade piece near the middle of an inconsistent campaign due to injury.

But Porzingis outright not showing up to camp, and contemplating retirement, was likely not among the team's predicted outcomes for this season. As Porzingis continues to deal with chronic illness, it represents perhaps the unfortunate end to a career that deserved much more longevity and impact.

The reality Golden State is stuck with, though, is that it has no choice other than to move Porzingis' deal with little to no leverage on their side. The $20 million salary slot is certainly helpful, but they can't afford to go through much more of the regular season without an additional rotation player in the fold. The process of moving off of Porzingis then, always needed to start sooner rather than later for the Warriors.

It appears, now, that it has. Shams Charania at ESPN reported via X this morning that the Warriors have begun withholding payments on Porzingis' contract. They can still trade him until the Feb. 11 deadline, but this decision seems to effectively confirm the end of his time with the team.

Now it's simply time to find the right suitor.

Moving Kristaps Porzingis' contract now becomes an urgent matter for the Warriors

Again, this is about as unfortunate a situation as you can think of. Porzingis has been a great teammate and a highly effective player during his time in the league, and for things to end this way—especially considering the contracts the Warriors gave up for him last season—is beyond disappointing for both parties.

But Golden State has no real choice here.

The team has played well, rattling off five straight victories even without a true starting-caliber center in the fold. The small-ball lineup featuring Draymond Green at the five has looked viable, and the rotation as a whole has acclimated quickly to Porzingis' absence. But there are too many lingering injury concerns for this team (and too many veterans that need rest) to not capitalize on Porzingis' contract in a trade situation.

Withholding Porzingis' salary was always an option after he departed Warriors training camp and, according to reporting, declined to return to the team. But doing so would be to effectively burn a bridge between the two parties—it serves, at least on the surface, as a confirmation that Porzingis will not play this season, or ever again, for the Warriors.

It's not as though Golden State can lose leverage in this situation—they're already at a decided disadvantage in any negotiations. And perhaps there's a better deal that could pop up nearer to the trade deadline.

But the Warriors should still be able to move Porzingis' $20 million salary, for the cost of future draft capital, in order to fill a need on this roster. Right now, that lies at center and on the wings for Golden State. The New Orleans Pelicans, with Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Yves Missi potentially available, are an option. As are the Charlotte Hornets, although they'd likely have to provide more of a scoring guard like Grayson Allen in return.

But even if Porzingis is dealt now for a player not fitting an exact need, that piece can then be flipped at the deadline, perhaps with some increased trade value. The Warriors did this in 2024-25 with Dennis Schröder, although his time with the Warriors certainly didn't increase his value by much.

Either way, though, it's time to really start exploring those options for a Porzingis move. The Warriors now officially have no other path forward.

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